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Deadly Tour Bus Accident In Southern California

When large commercial vehicles, like a passenger bus, are involved in an accident the results can be devastating. Recently, a tour bus struck two vehicles and then rolled over on State Route 38 in the California mountains, east of Los Angeles.

CNN reports that authorities are still investigating the accident, but officials believe that the bus rear-ended a sedan, collided with a pickup truck that was pulling a trailer and then rolled over.

The rescue effort was difficult due to the narrow, sloping highway and because of the depth of the terrain. At least 42 passengers on the tour bus suffered injuries from the accident. Some of the injuries were minor and some were very severe. Unfortunately, eight people died in the accident as well.

Lawsuits Against Commercial Vehicles And Common Carriers

Although authorities do not know for sure how the accident happened, if their belief that the tour bus hit a sedan and a pickup and then rolled over can be proven, the bus company could possibly be held liable.

Tour bus companies generally act as common carriers or entities whose business charges a fee to transport people or goods from one location to another.

A commercial vehicle is any van, car, truck or bus that is owned by or involved in some sort of business. Examples of commercial vehicles include delivery vans, city buses, commercial buses, limousines, company work trucks and tow trucks.

Regulatory bodies give carriers, such as tour buses, the authority to offer their services to the public. The regulatory body sets the standards that the carrier must adhere to. A carrier can be sued for injuries that resulted from a commercial vehicle accident for either failing to follow a particular regulation created by the regulatory body or for inadequately exercising the diligence and care that a reasonably careful operator could be expected to exercise.

Most successful lawsuits against common carriers result from a negligence suit. To prove that the carrier was negligent and at fault, the injured person must show that the carrier owed the injured plaintiff a duty of exercising the utmost care and diligence to the plaintiff because the plaintiff was a passenger, the carrier breached that duty, the breach of the duty caused the accident that caused the plaintiff’s injury, and the passenger actually suffered an injury.

Someone who has been injured in an accident where there was a commercial vehicle involved could benefit from consulting with a bus accident attorney. An experienced attorney may be able to help maximize the injured person’s settlement so that he or she can adequately cover expenses while recovering from the injury.